Being chosen
I woke up this morning and felt really knocked out. Today was my eleventh birthday, at least if you count from the day the others had found me. If this day was really my birthday, I didn't really know but in fact I didn't know anything about my family. Or anyway not much. I knew that I had been found in a dark corner of Nocturn Alley eleven years ago. My mother was likely dead, most likely by myself being what I was…
I sat myself up and rubbed my neck. I looked more adult than the eleven years I was, but things happened. Born werewolves were very unusual, but it was known, that they were full-grown earlier and aged more slowly than wizards, and wizard aged slow yet. Last night had been the last night of full moon for this month, but I was used to turn myself into a werewolf for eleven years now. So I could tell a fact of me, most turned werewolves could not: I got used to the creature I always had been and I always tried to make the best out of it.
But what had awaken me on this grey morning deep in the forest was a screech owl, grew as this morning, which was now flying through the glassless window of my log hut. It seemed to be waiting for something. I looked down on the trampled ground and discovered a letter with green letters on it. I took the letter from the ground and read the address.
Rosalie Greyback
Log hut 17
With the Grey Wolves
Gwydyr Forest of Wales
I gazed at the emerald green ink that glittered on the so exactly addressed envelope. Where did it come from? Where from did the sender knew a last name of me, even I didn't know? Enquiring I sniffed at it, it smelled of parchment, ink and old ruins, interesting. I slit the letter open with my sharp wolf-teeth and took out a piece of parchment, written in the same emerald ink.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall
Dear Ms Greyback,
We are proud to inform you that you're now taken to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Within you'll find a list with all needed books and things.
The new year starts at the first of September. We're awaiting your owl until the 31th of July.
Yours sincerely
Susan Sullivan
Assistant Headmistress
I glanced at the emerald green lines. Today was the 16th. Taking the piece of paper in my left hand I walked out of my log hut, out on the place in between all of the log huts. Of course the writer of this letter had been right; the Grey Wolves lived in the Gwydyr Forest of Wales, hidden under and with the trees, because most of the wizards didn't want us to be with them. But this writer didn't seem to care of this; she wanted me to go to school either! Of course I knew what Hogwarts was; I was living with magical werewolves.
I turned my path to log hut number three. There Rupert was living; he had been to Hogwarts too, years ago. Or at least he was the only one still talking about Hogwarts. I knocked civilized and waited. After the full moon usually no one was awake at this time of the day. A snarl came out of the log hut I took it as 'come in' and opened the door. I noticed that Rupert didn't pass the end of the night in his bed, but on the trampled ground and he had had a fight last night the way he looked.
"Rosalie? What are you doing at this time? After a night of the full moon?" he mumbled and sat himself up on the dusty ground. I remained silent and just handed the letter to him. Directly he was awake.
"There it says 'Greyback'. Where did they know that from?"
I shrugged. "For years I guessed him to be your father, because of your eyes – but you should definitely go to Hogwarts. They cannot refuse to give you your education. I heard of, that the school can make some precautionary measures to take you even…you should send the owl back and you should ask them if they could change your last name onto 'Delgrey' this would be more innocuous" he said and scratched his chin with his long, dirty nails.
"All right" I said and went back. Sure I knew who Greyback was. Fenrir Greyback was the werewolf, who lived and murdered under the Dead-Eaters. Probably he was still alive, but for him it wasn't good enough to life with us in the forests, now after all was ended for years. He was big, dirty and fearsome, people said, that he was this mad for human blood that he killed more often than only under the full moon. If he was my father many things would be explained, I thought and remembered the territorial fights of the wolves, in which I got a high order very early. A fact I had to thank a, even for wolves, unusual strength, madness and endurance.
I walked back to my log hut and looked into the spotted mirror over the old crackly washbasin. In fact Rupert was right, my blood red eyes with the golden rays around the pupil needed maybe a bit getting used to. My silver grey, asymmetric cut shoulder-length hair would have been a bit unusual, but that had always been me.
The screech owl was still sitting on the window ledge. I grabbed an old tattered quill and an old and a little dirty piece of parchment. Then I wrote the answer.
Dear Professor Sullivan,
I'd really like to learn at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from the next year on. To do this we need to make some precautionary measures. I am a werewolf and I think, also my red wolves-eyes could cause problems. Furthermore I'd like to ask you to change my last name onto 'Delgrey' if this is possible.
Respectfully
Rosalie Delgrey
Ready. I took the letter and fixed it on the leg of the screech owl. I looked at her while she flew away in the cloudy and grey morning sky.
